Battle Race in the Fantasy World

Battle Race in the Fantasy World – 55

EP.55 Is This the Main Story…?

“…So, we’re in the same group.”

“Unfortunately, yes.”

Ian, who had received healing and fully recovered both shoulders, blinked his eyes.

He had just returned from the treatment ward, and now he was immediately faced with a group project.

Anyone would be bewildered and think, ‘What is this situation?’

‘If I had known, I would have completely crushed him.’

Kyle had only caused a minor fracture, allowing Ian to return in less than a week.

If he had completely shattered his shoulders, they wouldn’t have seen his face for at least two weeks.

Considering the existence of the divine power in this world, which was practically a cheat,

it would have been better to completely crush his shoulders, knowing they would heal with time.

“So, it’s me, you, and Tisha… The list says five people, but why are there only three of us?”

“The other two have a different lecture and will be here in about ten minutes.”

“Really? Hmm. Elga… Leto… Who are they? Are they in our grade?”

“Ian, the lecture we’re attending is for freshmen only.”

“Oh, is it?”

Is it? Damn it! What do you mean, is it? You damn idiot.

It’s been almost a month since the semester started, and you didn’t know that?

If you hear something exploding somewhere, that’s the sound of Kyle’s patience bursting.

“Elga. Leto. Elga. Elga…? That’s strange. The name sounds familiar.”

…What is this guy saying? Is he serious?

Kyle found himself praying to a god he didn’t believe in. Oh, damn. Dear god.

Even if he didn’t know Leto, Elga was already a well-known figure in the academy.

She was the daughter of the Grand Duke of Littorio, the youngest and most cherished by her parents.

Moreover, she was already renowned in social circles for her beauty.

Yet, Ian was saying that Elga’s name sounded vaguely familiar.

They had even crossed paths a few times, so he couldn’t be completely unaware.

“Ian.”

“What?”

“Lady Elga, the daughter of the Grand Duke of Littorio.”

“Grand Duke? Grand Duke means… a high-ranking noble, right?”

“Yes. If you speak carelessly, you could lose both your tongue and your head, Ian.”

Kyle had mentally checked out, adopting a mindset of ‘To hell with the main storyline and its flow.’

Supporting the protagonist? Not happening. Helping with romance? They can handle it themselves.

I’ve got my own life to worry about, I can’t afford to mess it up by helping others.

But that doesn’t mean I want the original protagonist to lose his head.

Out of basic human decency, I should at least give him some advice on how to stay alive.

That way, I can focus on getting along with Tisha without any worries.

So, I gave him a fair warning not to draw unnecessary attention.

While people might hesitate to mess with me because of Jonathan,

Ian, being a commoner with no backing, could easily be dealt with by the Grand Duke’s family.

Even Ian should be able to understand this and stay out of trouble.

“Don’t worry. I don’t always cross the line excessively.”

“…”

Kyle felt like setting fire to the professor’s office for putting him in this group.

If not that, he wanted to sew Ian’s mouth shut.

He tried to think positively and move on, but Ian kept making things worse.

So, all those times you crossed the line didn’t count?

Insults, derogatory comments, and calling himself weak in front of Jonathan.

Even if he was the protagonist of a romance fantasy, this wasn’t being a cool guy; it was being a blockhead.

‘This is driving me crazy. Oh, my head.’

Was this really the best solution? It didn’t seem right.

Maybe it would be better to just list Ian’s name in the group and work as a four-person team.

That would likely be the most beneficial for everyone.

At least Elga and Leto might follow instructions properly.

Being from a grand noble family, they would feel the pressure to maintain good grades.

Tisha, being serious about her studies, wouldn’t be a problem.

Except for Ian.

Even recalling the free chapters he had read, Ian never seemed to be on good terms with studying.

He would look out the window during class, didn’t have outstanding grades, and so on.

He was definitely not suited for a group project like this.

Moreover, every time he opened his mouth, the chances of the group members getting upset were high.

Tisha might explode, Elga could get angry, and Leto might go berserk. The likelihood was over 90%.

‘The topic itself is already a headache. What should I do?’

Each group had a different topic to present.

Some groups had to discuss the empire’s cultural projects, others the natural climate and agricultural production.

The topic assigned to Kyle’s group, Group 7, was ‘A Study on the Future Enhancement of the Empire’s Capabilities.’

If it were a topic with a clear answer, it would have been easier.

When it came to cultural projects, it was just a matter of researching and presenting the findings.

For topics related to natural climate and agricultural production, it was about checking various factors and wrapping it up.

In other words, the other groups could finish their tasks by simply researching what was needed without much discussion.

In contrast, Kyle’s group, Group 7, had to tackle the topic of the future enhancement of the empire’s capabilities.

This meant that each group member would inevitably have to present their opinions.

Even among well-acquainted and like-minded individuals, this would lead to intense discussions.

“Move over.”

“This is my seat.”

“Regardless of the seat, just move. Don’t stick so close.”

“But… this is my seat. What do you want me to do?”

Watching Tisha, who was unfortunately seated next to Ian, Kyle thought.

Tisha would likely argue that sorcery could contribute to the empire’s future growth.

She would mention the positive aspects, stating that magic was already saturated and something new was needed.

She had a point. Most areas utilizing mana had already been thoroughly researched.

Of course, no one knew how mana might be used in the future.

Magic itself was constantly evolving, so her argument wasn’t entirely baseless.

Considering that magic had initially received similar treatment to current sorcery,

Tisha’s opinion wasn’t entirely unreasonable.

‘Ian… will undoubtedly advocate for swordsmanship. He’ll argue that producing excellent swordsmen to secure the western and eastern fronts is essential. After all, the empire’s history began with the sword.’

Ian was genuinely passionate about swordsmanship.

So, he would likely counter Tisha’s points, arguing that focusing on swordsmanship would be far more beneficial for the empire’s growth than any so-called sorcery.

And what about Elga? What would the princess of Littorio think?

“This is an interesting topic.”

A while later, Elga, who had just finished her lecture, muttered with a faint smile.

Despite the unpleasant group arrangement, she didn’t seem particularly bothered.

After briefly stroking her chin, she began, “In my opinion…”

“The empire is already vast. While it wouldn’t be bad to secure the remaining western and eastern regions by force, having more often means losing more. Overextending ourselves won’t be beneficial. The empire can achieve eternal prosperity through diplomacy and politics alone.”

In other words, she believed that the growth of diplomacy and politics was crucial for the empire’s future capabilities.

Kyle nodded, as if he had expected this.

The reason was that the Littorio Grand Duchy was responsible for diplomacy.

I heard that the current Minister of Foreign Affairs is also from Littorio.

‘So, does Leto think the same way?’

Although Leto wasn’t a blood relative of Littorio, he was part of the vassal group.

Therefore, he might agree with Elga since her answer best represented Littorio’s interests.

“…I don’t know. I’d like to hear everyone’s opinions first.”

And here he was, saying he didn’t know.

Thanks to this, Kyle experienced an entirely new level of frustration.

‘Did anyone ask who should become the Grand Duke of Littorio?! This is a group project! You’re supposed to give your opinion on the topic! What kind of nonsense is this?!’

At this rate, even Elga would have had enough and ended their relationship.

In the original storyline, Leto seemed to have some epiphany through various events.

But now, it seemed he was just in a position of worrying about Elga getting hurt.

Anyway, this resulted in a chaotic mix of opinions.

One person advocated for sorcery, another for swordsmanship, another for politics and diplomacy, and one didn’t know.

‘Saintess, I miss you.’

The most reasonable person, the Saintess, unfortunately, wasn’t a student.

She was more like a guest of the church, occasionally appearing in the infirmary.

“Kyle?”

After a long bout of bickering with Ian and finally managing to get rid of him, Tisha spoke up.

“What do you think, Kyle?”

“Yes?”

“Your opinion on the group project topic. What do you think is most important for the empire’s enhancement?”

“Well, of course…”

Constant training, only training that keeps one in the best condition is important.

Kyle almost said this out loud without realizing it.

‘Am I crazy?’

Lately, he had been using his strength unintentionally, and the Jonathan mindset was becoming stronger.

It crept up quietly, like an unshakeable curse.

“Kyle?”

“Ah, yes, Tisha. So… the most important thing is probably… after all…”

After all, after all…

“Strength to withstand any trial… and the training for it…”

No matter how much he tried to escape it, no matter how much he tried to ignore it,

the Jonathan mindset flowed through his veins.